


We Used To Be Something

by sassiestassbuttever



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-05-20 21:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14902269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassiestassbuttever/pseuds/sassiestassbuttever
Summary: Long before Handsome Jack became a mass murdering CEO he was just a man looking for adventure. When Sam came into his life he felt like he had found the biggest adventure yet. And for a time the two were the happiest either of them had ever been. But not everything lasts forever, and they were torn apart. Now Sam has to face her biggest challenge yet. Work with newfound friends to kill the man she loved, or try to save someone that's seen as Pandora's worst monster.





	1. Chapter 1

The music in the bar played louder than she would have liked, and there were far too many people in her opinion. But the booze was good and the owner always gave her a discount, which made everything else bearable. 

“Hiya, sugar. The usual I presume?” The bartender, and owner, Moxxi asked.

“You know it, Mox.” She said, settling into her seat. “Is it bad that I’m here often enough to have a usual?”

“Personally I don’t think it is.” Moxxi said. “Just means more business for me, Sammy.”

Sam hummed and caught the drink as Moxxi slid it over to her.  The entire time she was drinking it, she could feel someone watching her.

“Hey Mox. Is anyone staring at me?” She asked, making sure to keep her voice slightly down.

Moxxi looked over Sam’s shoulder at the man sitting just a few tables behind her.

“Sure is, sugar. Though, if you don’t want him I’ll certainly take him.” She answered.

“I thought you already had a boyfriend.”

“Well I wouldn’t call him that. Bit of a strong word, that one.”

“I will never understand your ways.”

“Don’t expect you to, sugar.” Moxxi said with a smile. “By the way, that tall drink of water is heading your way.”

Just as Moxxi walked away to take someone’s order, Sam felt someone sit down on the stool next to her. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he was indeed tall. But the rest of him screamed douchebag and that was very unappealing.

“Hi there, sweetheart. Name’s Troy. Does that pretty face of yours have a name to go with it?” He opened, leaning against the bar.

“Listen, Troy. I’m sure you’ve got some half decent qualities, but I’m really not in the mood tonight. So if you could kindly leave me alone that would be great.” Sam said, not even bothering to look at the man.

“Come on now, no need to be like that. Why don’t I buy ya a drink and we can chat?”

“Again, thanks but no thanks.”

“Playin hard to get, huh? I can work with that. Always did love a girl with a little fire in her.” He said, leaning in closer to Sam and putting a hand on her knee.

Sam looked down at his hand and sighed.

“Get your hand off my knee, please.” She said, looking up at him.

“I’m just bein friendly. Nothin wrong with that, is there?” He asked, smirking as he talked.

“I’m gonna say it again before I rephrase it in a way you won’t enjoy. Get your hand off of my knee.” She told him, all but killing him with her glare.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“This is why I don’t go to public places.” Sam muttered before taking action.

Pushing out from the bar, Sam grabbed Troy’s wrist and bent his arm behind his back. Before he had a chance to react, she kicked his stool out from under him and planted her foot in between his shoulder blades. Adjusting her grip on his wrist she pulled on his arm while pushing down with her foot. This earned a scream of pain from the man as his shoulder was ripped from it’s socket. Satisfied with her work, Sam dropped his arm.

“Told ya you wouldn’t like how I rephrase things.” She said as she left money on the counter for her drink. “See ya later, Mox!”

“See ya, Sammy!”

As Sam left the bar a few people came over to help Troy off the ground and get him to a doctor. As this was happening another man came up to the bar.

* * *

“Hey Moxxi, who was that?” He asked. 

“You mean Sam? She’s an old friend of mine that comes in whenever she’s in town. She’s not too big on public places, but she makes an exception for me.” Moxxi answered as she finished cleaning a glass.

“She’s…...really cool. Like, seriously awesome.” He said. “Do you know how long she’s in town for?”

“It’s hard to say. Sometimes she’s here for a few months, sometimes it’s only a few days. Just depends on how long it takes her to find a lead on a new Vault.”

“Wait wait wait. She’s a Vault Hunter?”

“Sure is. And she’s one of the best.”

“I didn’t think she could get any cooler. Any idea where she’s staying?”

“Oh no, I know that look on your face. I wouldn’t try and go down that road, Jack. Sam is happy being on her own and she doesn’t like people bothering her.” Moxxi warned her ex boyfriend.

“You said no the first three times I asked you out.” Jack countered.

“Yes, but unlike me, Sam will probably kill you if you pester her too much.” She told him.

“Well, can’t hurt to try at least once, can it?”


	2. Chapter 2

Sam sat on the balcony of her hotel room, looking out across Concordia. It had been a couple day since the incident at Moxxi’s and she still felt a little bad about it. She knew her friend never really cared about that kind of stuff, but she never liked making trouble for her. Sighing she stood up and gathered a few things before leaving her room and heading for Moxxi’s.

* * *

 

The music was slightly different tonight and Sam found it bearable. There was still a considerable crowd, but Moxxi walked over as soon as she saw Sam.

“Heya, Sammy. Didn’t expect to see you back so soon.” She said, leaning against the bar.

“I felt bad about what happened, so I decided to bring you your gift early.” Sam told her, putting the bag she had been holding onto the bar.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know, but you’re like one of six people I actually like.”

Finding what she was looking for, Sam pulled out a black box and set it in front of Moxxi. The bartender opened to find a medium purple stone pendant in a clear casing, attached to a silver chain.

“I found the stone in the last Vault I opened. The casing around it makes it so you don’t have to worry about Eridium poisoning or anything like that.” Sam explained.

“Sammy, it’s gorgeous. I love it, thank you.” Moxxi said as she put the necklace on. “I guess not everyone can say they have an Eridium necklace.”

“Not anyone that’s still alive.” Sam added.

Moxxi laughed at the comment before spotting Jack staring her down from a table. Rolling her eyes, she motioned for him to come over. Sam noticed and looked behind her as he walked up to the bar. He was fairly tall, his dark brown hair was swept up and away from his face. His eyes were mismatched, one green and one blue. He looked like someone that was full of themselves, but something about him peaked her interest. 

“Sam, this is Jack. Jack this is my friend Sam.” Moxxie introduced as he sat down.

“Nice to meet ya.” He said.

“Likewise.” Sam replied. “You one of Moxx’s exes?”

“What gave it away?” Jack chuckled.

“The way she says your name. She has a certain way of talking about her exes.” Sam explained.

“I do not.” Moxxi defended.

“Yes you do. You just don’t notice it.” Sam retorted.

“Well, I have to go check on my other customers. You two have fun.” She said, smiling as she walked away.

“Does she really do that?” Jack asked. “What you were talking about before.”

“Yeah. There’s a lot of little ticks that make up the way she works. Once you’ve figured them out it’s pretty easy to tell what she’s going to do.”

“How long have you known her?”

“About six years now. But it’s also my job to notice all the little things about people, so I would know them either way.”

“Moxx told me you’re a Vault Hunter.”

“That I am. Just finished up with one.”

Sam scooted in her seat so she had a better view of Jack as Moxxi slid her a drink.

“So, what is it that you do?” She asked before taking a sip.

“I do a lot of work with coding and other computer stuff.” He answered, relaxing in his seat a little. “Nothing as exciting as Vault Hunting.”

“Trust me, it’s not as exciting as it seems. I mean, once you actually find the Vault it is. It can take years to find them though.”

“What do you do in the down time?”

“Whatever I feel like. I have a lot of options.”

“You like being vague, don’t you?”

“Depends.” Sam said with a smirk, taking another sip of her drink.

Jack seemed both amused and annoyed at her answer, putting his elbow on the bar as he gave her a quick study.

“I’m not as easy to read as people think I am.” She told him, catching on to what he was trying to do.

“You really do notice the little things about people.” He remarked.

“Part of the job. If you want to survive out there, you need to be able to know what people are going to do.”

Jacked hummed in response. He was about to say something when Sam’s Echo went off. She took it out of her pocket to look at it.

“Crap, I’m gonna have to take this one. Sorry.” She said.

“Take your time.” He told her as she stood up and answered the call.

He watched her walk out of the bar as Moxxi walked up to him.

“She likes you.” She told him.

“How do you know?”

“There are five other people I have seen her talk that long with. And they were the other Vault Hunters she works with. Normally she hates everyone else besides them.”

“Do you think I might have a shot?”

Moxxi took a moment before answering. “You just might.”

* * *

 Sam walked back to the bar, finished her drink, and then left some money on the counter. 

"Sorry to bail like this, but a friend on mine needs some help." She explained. 

Moxxi walked over just as she finished talking and picked up the money. 

"What idiotic thing did Mordeci do this time?" She questioned. 

"I don't even know. Lilith just called me and said that they need me to meet them out in the Dust." Sam answered. "You got anything you want me to take to Ellie?" 

"Not this time. That girl wouldn't take anything from me anyways." 

Jack looked between the two women as they talked, finding himself getting a little lost. He watched as Sam vaulted over the counter so she could give Moxxi a hug and then slid back to the other side. She fixed her shirt before looking up at him. 

"Well Jack, it's been fun. Thanks for putting up with me longer than a minuet." She said, winking at him after. 

"Maybe I can put up with you another time. When you get back, maybe?" He questioned, trying not to get flustered. 

"Sounds good to me." She agreed as she put her jacket on. 

"You wouldn't happen to have a number I could get, do you?" 

"Not one that wouldn't get you killed if the right people saw it. Don't worry though, I'll see ya when I get back." 

Jack couldn't help but watch as she sauntered out of the bar and into the night. Leaning against the bar he put his chin in his hand and kept staring at the door. 

"Well sugar, I don't know what you did but she's certainly interested." Moxxi said as she took empty glasses off the counter. "I'd still be careful around her. There's plenty that even I don't know." 

Jack sighed and pushed away from the bar as he stood up. "I think I'll take my chances." 

 


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had just set in the horizon as Sam watched the bandit camp through her sniper scope. 

“What’s it lookin like down there, Sammy?” Lilith asked over the EchoComm.

“It’s pretty quiet. Looks like most of them are inside right now. I can see five psychos, five bandits, and a couple midgets.” She answered, shifting her position on the cliff. “How did Mordecai end up there anyways?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. He isn’t usually this stupid.” Lilith answered. “I’m sending Brick in if you want to give him some cover fire.”

“On it.”

Sam waited until she saw her other friend charging into the bandit camp and then started pick off the ones farthest from him.

“Hey Sam! I could use some help down here!” Brick yelled through the comm.

Not bothering to answer, Sam put her sniper back into her inventory and then jumped down from the cliff. Pulling a hunting knife out she entered the camp and found that Brick was surrounded by psychos. Throwing the knife, she hit one in the head before running over to help.  It didn’t take long for the two of them to kill the psychos and anyone else that got in their way. Soon they found Mordecai and his bird, Bloodwing, tied up in a shack in the middle of the camp.

“Wake up, idiot. It’s time to go home.” Sam said, kicking the sole of Mordecai's boot.

Grunting, the sniper opened his eyes and looked up at his friends. Bloodwing cawed next to him in an effort to wake him up even more.

“How’d you guys find me?” He asked as Brick untied him.

“It’s not that hard to find someone like you.” Sam answered as she untied Bloodwing. “Plus they were already trying to trade you for a ransome.”

Mordecai shrugged before standing up and waiting for Bloodwing to land on his shoulder. Sam handed him his sniper that she had found and the trio left the bandit camp.

“Hey Lil, we got him. We’re heading back to you now.” Brick said over his comm.

“Sounds good. Roland and I are at Moxxi’s on Concordia, so meet us there.” She told them.

“Well, now I don’t have to make two trips.” Sam muttered as they approached the Fast Travel Station.

* * *

 

In a matter of seconds the three Vault Hunters were in the city and making their way to the bar. As they stepped inside Sam searched for Lilith and Roland and found them at the bar.

“Hey guys.” She greeted, taking a seat next to them. “How come you’re here? This doesn’t really seem like your kind of place.”

“Generally it’s not, but Moxxi makes great mixed drinks.” Lilith replied, leaning on Roland’s shoulder.

“Well thanks, sugar.” Moxxi said as she handed Sam a drink. “You doin alright Sammy? You look like you just fought a whole bandit camp.”

“That’s cause I did.” Sam said. “Thanks for the drink by the way.” 

Moxxi hummed in response and left as Jack walked up.

“Fought a whole bandit camp, huh?” He asked, sitting next to Sam.

“Yup. It’s not as fun as it sounds.” She answered.

“That’s cause nothin ever actually gets a hit in.” Brick interjected. “Takes all the fun out of it.”

“How does not almost dying take the fun out of something?” She asked, turning to her friend.

“Takin a few hits makes killin em all the more satisfying!” Brick argued.

“Who’s your little friend there, Sammy?” Lilith asked, looking Jack over.

“This is Jack. He’s a friend of Moxxi’s.” Sam answered. “Jack this is Lilith, Brick, Mordecai, and Roland.”

Each person gave a small nod as their names were said and Jacked waved after the introductions were over.

“A friend of Moxxi’s, huh? That mean what I think it means?” Mordecai questioned, directing it at Sam.

Sam hummed in response while she took a sip of her drink.

“I feel like I’m missin something here.” Jack said.

“That’s cause ya are.” Sam told him. “Don’t worry about it, though. It doesn’t mean anything bad.”

Finishing her drink, Sam stood up and rolled her shoulders before stretching her arms over her head. 

“Well, I smell bad and am covered in blood so I’m gonna go take a shower.” She said to the group behind her. “Mordecai is paying for my drink cause I had to go save his stupid ass.”

“Fair enough.” The sniper agreed.

Turning to Jack, Sam took a marker out of her pocket and grabbed a cocktail napkin from the counter. Writing an address and room number on it, she handed it to him.

“This is where I’m staying. If these guys get too invasive feel free to come over.” She told him. “Or you can can just come over later. Up to you.”

With that Sam turned and walked out of the bar. As she as she was gone Lilith turned to face Jack.

“So how do you know Sam?” She asked.

“Moxxi introduced us a couple days ago.” He answered.

“Must have made quite the impression if she’s letting you know where she’s staying.” Roland said.

“That’s what everyone keeps saying.” Jack said.

“Sam would rather kill someone than bother to actually talk to them.” Mordecai explained. “You should count yourself lucky, amigo.”

Before anything else was said Moxxi walked over with a towel in her hand.

“Stop heckling him and go stink up someone else’s bar.” She said, hitting Mordecai with the towel. “And that goes for all of you. You can come back when you smell better.”

“Alright, alright. No need for violence, Mox.” Mordecai said, raising his hands in surrender before paying for the drinks.

“Thanks for the drinks, Mox. We’ll see ya later.” Lilith called over her shoulder as they walked out.

Moxxi and Jack watched them go before facing each other.

“They really care about Sam, don’t they.” Jack said.

“The five of them have been through a lot together. They’re pretty much a family.” She told him.

“Guess I’ll need to watch my back.” He joked, putting his elbows on the bar.

“If you want a shot with Sam you will. They’ll have you hanging upside down over a pit of skags before you can even blink.” Moxxi warned. “Well, if Sam hasn’t done something by then.”

“I know that the idea of Sam violently killing me if I do anything to her is supposed to scare me, but it does the opposite.”

“That’s cause you’re weird, Jack.”


	4. Chapter 4

One of the few things that Sam actually enjoyed about Concordia was the way the city looked at night. While Pandora had its charms, there was something appealing about the soft glow from the hundreds of neon lights. Pushing her jet black hair out of her face, Sam let the purple smoke flow past her lips. Concordia was mostly silent at night, save for the music coming from Moxxi’s. Holding out her right arm in front of her, she watched the markings glow slightly in the dim light. More smoke billowed into the air as she felt Lilith lean against the railing next to her. 

“Do those eridium cigs really work?” The other Siren asked, looking at her friend.

“Well, I'm not dead yet.” Sam answered. “Plus they help if I need to recharge.”

“How have you been? With the whole ‘needing eridium to live’ thing, I mean.”

“I’ve definitely been worse. It’s gotten a little better over the years, but I still feel a little trapped by it sometimes.”

Lilith hummed in response and the two stood in silence for a few minutes, looking out at the city.

“So what’s the deal with Jack?” Lilith questioned, breaking the silence. “I’ve never seen you talk with anyone that long. Let alone give them your room number.”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I can tell the guy has an ego the size of Elpis, but there’s something about him. This one thing that I can’t quite figure out.”

“Well, we both know how much you hate not being able to figure someone out.”

“The last time I couldn’t figure someone out, Hyperion got access to something no one should have. I don’t want something like that to happen again.”

“Fair enough. So are getting closer because you want to figure him out, or because you’re starting to like him?”

Sam stayed silent for a moment before putting out her cigarette and looking at her friend.

“Honestly. A little bit of both.”

* * *

 

Sam and Lilith had spent a few hours talking and working out a plan for their next vault, before a knock sounded at the door. Leaving Lilith sitting on the bed, Sam opened the door to find Jack standing on the other side.

“Hey, Sam. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” He said. “I just wanted to talk with you for a minute.”

“I was just about to leave, so you’re not interrupting anything.” Lilith said as she walked up behind Sam. “I’ll see ya later Sammy.”

The other two moved aside so that Lilith could leave.

“You can come in.” Sam said, walking farther into the room.

Jack followed her into the room, closing the door behind him.

“What did you want to talk about?” Sam asked as she turned to face him.

“Well, I have to head back to Helios tomorrow for work. I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight?” He asked.

Sam noticed that he was starting to get a little nervous, and she couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Yeah, that’d be fun.” She answered. “Did you have somewhere in mind?”

Jack grinned at the answer he got.

“I had a couple places picked out. Just depends on what you’re in the mood for.”

“Hmm. Surprise me.”

* * *

Jack had settled on a small burger place that was close to Sam’s hotel. It was family run and the food made it clear they prided themselves on quality over quantity. The two had found a small booth near the back, per Sam’s request. There weren’t a lot of other people there due to the time, making the restaurant quiet and peaceful.

“So, earlier you said that you have to go back to Helios. I’m guessing you’re one of the computer engineers for Hyperion.” Sam said. “Bet that’s a fun job.”

“I pretty much run the place at this point, so there’s some perks to it.” He answered, leaning back in his seat. “Although, strictly speaking, I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Well, that makes it all the more fun now doesn’t it.”

Jack chuckled at the comment before the two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

“Do you mind if I ask a more personal question?” Jack said. “Feel free to say no.” 

“Go ahead.”

“What’s it like being a siren?”

Sam had been waiting for him to ask that question. Everyone always asked her about it. It was one of the reasons she never talked with people anymore. It had started to feel like the only reason people approached her was because she was a siren, so she decided to just stop trying altogether.

“Well, everyone either wants to kill me or sell me or both.” She finally answered. “But it does make being a Vault Hunter a lot easier, so I guess that’s a plus.”

“Aren’t Sirens connected to all that vault and eridium stuff?”

“Yep. Being a Siren means I can get into some vaults that other people can’t. It’s like having a VIP ticket at a concert.” Sam told him before finishing off her drink. “So tell me, Jack. What’s it like working for the most hated company in the six galaxies?”

“I wouldn’t say we’re the most hated. There are definitely worse places out there. It is pretty cutthroat though. If you don’t have what it takes you’re gonna crash and burn. Trust me when I say that a lot of people don’t last more than two weeks.”

“Sounds like a real party.”

Jack was about to say something when Brick and Mordecai walked into the restaurant and over to their booth.

“Heya.” Sam greeted, though her tone gave away her annoyance at the interruption.

“Sorry to crash the party here, but Lilith and Roland just found it. We gotta head out if we’re gonna make it before someone else does.” Mordecai explained.

“Didn’t expect them to find it so soon. It is a pretty big one though, so the readings would be off the charts at the right times.” Sam said as she slid out of her seat before turning to Jack. “Sorry to cut this short, darlin.”

“It’s cool. We’ll just have to pick up where we left off another time.” He said, standing up and following her out the door.

“I’ll call ya when I’m back. Maybe you can give me a private tour of Helios next time.” She told him before turning to follow her friends.

“How are ya going to do that when you don’t even have my number?” He called after her.

“I’ll get it from Moxxi!” She yelled back. “ See ya later!”

Jack watched as she walked with Brick and Mordecai to the Fast Travel station, where Lilith and Roland were already waiting. As Roland chose their destination, Sam turned and waved at Jack. Smiling a little, he waved back as the group disappeared.

“Man, I am in it deep.” The programmer muttered to himself as he walked back to his hotel.


	5. Chapter 5

Breathing heavily, Sam stood over the bodies of the dozen or so Dahl soldiers the surrounded her. The squad had come out of nowhere and surprised her, but she had quickly gotten the upperhand. Putting away her gun, she looked around at the Dahl base she was currently in. Shortly after she and the others had raided the vault, they had gotten a tip about some eridium tech on Elpis. The others were exhausted so Sam volunteered to check it out. So far she had been through almost the entire place and there was no sign of eridium anywhere. Deciding to call it a day, Sam stepped over the bodies and made her way back to where she had come in. The sudden buzz of the Echo in her back pocket made her jump a little before she pulled it out. Not even bothering to see who was calling she answered it.

“Pickle, I swear if you’re calling with another wild goose chase I’m gonna smack you.” She said.

“Well I’m not Pickle, but it sounds like I don’t want to be anyways.” A familiar voice said with a slight chuckle.

“Jack? I thought we agreed that I would call you, not that I’m complaining. How did you get my number?” Sam asked, stopping in her tracks for a moment before she kept going.

“I got it from Moxxi.” He answered. “Who’s Pickle anyways?”

“He’s this kid that we work with every so often.”

“You work with a kid?”

“Two kids actually. Pickle is on Elpis and Tina’s on Pandora. Anyways, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“I picked up your signal on Elpis, so I figured I’d check and see how things went with the vault.”

“Is that it? And here I was thinking that you just wanted to talk.”

“Well, that too.”

“There it is. Also, were you really scanning the moon just to see when I would show up?”

“No, that would be weird. I was scanning the moon for other reasons not related to that.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, cupcake.” Sam teased as she entered the small hanger and hopped on her Stingray. “To answer your question, things with the vault went well.”

“What does ‘well’ mean when it comes to vault hunting?”

“No one dies and you come out of it about a million bucks richer.”

“I wonder how many people would kill to have your life.”

“Plenty of people would kill to have the money that I do. They wouldn’t like what it takes to get it.”

“You’ve got a point. Hey, something just came up. Can you wait on the line for a couple minutes?”

“I’m about to go through a Fast Travel anyways, so yeah I can wait.”

Sam got off her Stingray and let the OZ Kit power down as she walked up to the Fast Travel. Finding Concordia she stood still and waited for the blinding light to die down. Not bothering to stop at Moxxi’s, Sam went straight to her hotel to clean the blood and moon dust off. Just as she was about to get in the shower, she heard Jack’s voice coming from her Echo. Avoiding the water, she put it in a dry part of the shower and switched it to speaker.

“That was definitely more than a couple minutes.” She said with a chuckle.

“I never guaranteed that time limit. Anyways, how tired of vaults are you?” He asked, thought somewhat warily.

“Depends on why you're asking." She responded. 

"Well, I thought that maybe you could come up to Helios. Nothing important is going on, and you did mention something about a private tour last time I saw you." He told her, trying his best to sound more confident than he was. 

Sam felt her entire body freeze for a moment at the mention of Helios. She had told herself that she would never go back there after what happened. On the other hand, she was starting to like Jack and wanted to see where things went with him. 

"Sam? You there?" Jack asked. 

"Yeah, sorry. I just had to get something off my face." She lied. "I wouldn't mind coming up there whenever you're free." 

"Great! I can be free tomorrow night if that works for you." 

"I can do that. What time?" 

"Does seven sound good?" 

"Sure. See ya tomorrow than." 

"See ya." 

Sam shook off her hand before reaching out and ending the call. After making sure all the blood was gone, she quickly got out of the shower and got dressed. Sitting on her bed, she ran a shaking hand through her hair. Deciding she need to talk to someone, Sam grabbed her Echo and called Lilith. After a few rings it went to voicemail, so Sam hung up and called Moxxi. 

"Hello?" Moxxi answered. 

"Hey, Moxx. Do you think you could come over? I need to talk something out with someone." Sam explained, the rising panic causing her voice to shake.

"Give me a couple minuets and I'll be right there." She said before hanging up. 

Tossing the Echo next to her on the bed, Sam laid back and covered her face with her hands and focused on her breathing. A knock at the door forced Sam back into the present, and all but ran over to open the door. As soon as she did, Moxxi stepped inside and put her bag on the small table before turning to face her friend. Sam led her over to the bed and sat down. 

"What happened, Sammy?" Moxxi asked as she sat down next to her. 

"I agreed to meet Jack on Helios." Sam answered, the words rushing out of her mouth. 

"Talk me through what happened." Moxxi said. "And take your time." 

"We got a tip from Pickle after we finished with the vault, so I went to go check it out. There wasn't anything there but Dahl soldiers, so it was either a trap or just poor intel. I fought them all off and was heading back to my Stingray when Jack called. We talked a little bit and then he asked me if I wanted to come up to Helios. Part of me wanted to say no, but I'm starting to like him for whatever reason so I said yes. I'm supposed to meet him there tomorrow night at seven. I don't know what to do, Moxxi." 

"You said that you're starting to like him. Maybe if you're up there with him, it'll be easier." 

"But what if someone recognizes me?" 

"Then make up some reason as to why they would. You're great at bullshitting people." 

"Gee, thanks." 

"You know I mean it in a good way." 

Sam paused for a few moments before speaking again. "I told myself that I would never have to go up there again." 

"And you still don't. If you keep feeling like you can't do this, just call Jack and tell him something came up. He may be a little full of himself, but he'll understand." 

"Do you think it's worth it?" 

"It doesn't matter what I think. You're the one that went through hell and back, so it's up to you." 

Sighing, Sam leaned against Moxxie and put her head on her shoulder. Moxxie pulled her closer and started running her hand up and down Sam's arm. 

"You've got time to make your choice. Personally, I think you should go with your gut. Any decision you've made that way had turned out pretty good." 

Sam hummed in agreement and sat up straight. 

"Thanks for coming, Moxx. I know it can be hard to leave the bar for too long." 

"Eh, I just kicked everyone out before I left." 

Sam couldn't help but laugh at the statement, and could feel herself starting to calm down. 

"So, what are you gonna do?" Moxxi asked. 

"I'll go." 

 


End file.
